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Jenny Yuen, QMI Agency

Mar 17, 2014

, Last Updated: 4:36 PM ET

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Jerry Pitamber, 29, came home after a long shift at his family's restaurant Monday morning to find the lifeless bodies of his mother, father and older brother — victims of what police suspect was accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

"I came home and tried to save all of them, but it didn't work," Pitamber told CTV News. "Everyone was just knocked out. My dad was lying on the floor, my brother was in the bed, my mom was in the bed."

Pitamber called 911. Peel Regional Police said his three family members were found without vital signs on the second floor of the house and pronounced dead in hospital.

While investigators have not released the names of the victims, family members identified them as Peter Pitamer, 60, his wife Seeta, 59, and their son Terry, 36.

Two other men — Peter's brother, Paul Rampersaud, 56, and a 66-year-old family friend who went by the nickname "Doc” — were found on the first floor. They were taken to hospital and later released.

"It appears the family's furnace stopped working at one point and propane heaters at the side of the house were brought into the home. It resulted in an absolutely tragic outcome," said Const. Fiona Thivierge.

The carbon monoxide detector went off, but police believe members of the family had already been overcome by fumes and were "unable to respond," she added.